"He's not polite or nice." Solomon Peña frightened his neighbors when his political opinions coincided with us

By Deon J. Hampton and Mirna Alsharif -

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico.

— A former Republican candidate who lost last November's New Mexico House election and accused of hiring people to shoot up the homes of local Democratic leaders often promoted rhetoric against President Joe Biden and was belligerent with neighbors who opposed his political views, a homeowners association board member said Tuesday.

Tom Parks, a board member at Six Hundred Mayor West condominiums, also said some residents were concerned that Solomon Pena, who was arrested Monday, could get out on bail and live near a potentially dangerous neighbor.

[His victory helped the Republicans win the House of Representatives.

He now admits that he lied about his school and work history]

Peña's behavior came to a head about a year ago, when the homeowners' association forced him to remove a banner from a window because it violated housing policy.

The banner read: “F… [Fuck] Biden and anyone who voted for him,” Parks said.

“We had him remove it, because it violated one of our building guidelines, which is that you can't put flags in the window,” Parks explained.

He pulled the trigger and more: details of the arrest of the pro-Trump Republican who attacked Democrats after his electoral defeat

Jan 17, 202302:02

Pena is accused of conspiring and paying four men to trigger four shootings at Albuquerque-area homes belonging to two Democratic Bernalillo County commissioners and two state legislators, Albuquerque police said.

No one was hurt.

An attorney for Pena could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

[New York will investigate a Republican congressman for alleged falsehood in his resume]

Police said Peña may have been motivated by anger at losing his bid for a state House seat in November in a landslide defeat to Democrat Miguel P. Garcia 74% to 26%.

Pena claimed his loss was the result of voter fraud, Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Monday at a news conference.

Moment in which former Republican candidate Solomon Peña is arrested on January 16, 2023 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Noticias Telemundo

Pena, who owns an apartment in the gated community a few miles from downtown Albuquerque, was generally a good resident, but often feuded with neighbors whose political views disagreed with his own, according to Parks.

Sharon Bode, who lives in the same building as Peña, recalled him "rousing people during the electoral period."

[Republicans push measures against immigrants in the House of Representatives]

He put vulgar signs in his windows and on his car that "baked Joe Biden," Bode claimed.

“The people in the building were not happy,” he said.

Bode said his partner, who died a year ago, had several interactions with Pena.

“My partner had difficult and unsolicited conversations with him as he was going in and out of the building,” Bode said.

“He is not a polite or nice person,” she added.

Parks said Peña was often vocal about his politics.

“You didn't want to get in the elevator with him, because you might not have a nice conversation.

Sometimes it was a bit belligerent in tone with him,” Parks recalled.

[A Republican legislator presents before the House of Representatives a request to remove Alejandro Mayorkas]

Peña's building was relatively quiet Tuesday night, a change from Monday, when about 35 members of the Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team arrived with two snipers keeping watch from the top of the building. an adjacent building.